This is the second edition of a popular book on combinatorics, a subject dealing with ways of arranging and distributing objects, and which involves ideas from geometry, algebra and analysis. The breadth of the theory is matched by that of its applications, which include topics as diverse as codes, circuit design and algorithm complexity. It has thus become essential for workers in many scientific fields to have some familiarity with the subject. The authors have tried to be as comprehensive as possible, dealing in a unified manner with, for example, graph theory, extremal problems, designs, colorings and codes. The depth and breadth of the coverage make the book a unique guide to the whole of the subject. The book is ideal for courses on combinatorical mathematics at the advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate level. Working mathematicians and scientists will also find it a valuable introduction and reference.

J．H．van Lint（1932—2004）拥有荷兰乌特勒支大学博土学位，是荷兰埃因霍温科技大学数学与计算机科学系教授，于1997年退休。他是荷兰皇家艺术和科学院成员、西安交通大学荣誉教授、荷兰数学会荣誉成员等。除本书外，他还著有《Introduction to Coding Theory》，《Coding Theory》等书。